China: Communist leader found guilty of corruption and sentenced to life

mangaloretoday.com

China, Sept 22: A disgraced Communist politician who was once a member of China’s innermost circle of power has been sentenced to life in prison on corruption charges.

Bo Xilai, 64, a former member of the powerful Poliburo which rules China, was today convicted of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power by the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court.

 

The trial has been one of the most lurid scandals in Chinese politics, involving defection, defiance and murder. Disgraced: Bo, pictured earlier in the trial, was today sentenced to life in prison at the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court in China

Disgraced: Bo, pictured earlier in the trial, was today sentenced to life in prison at the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court in China

He was sentenced to life in prison on the bribery charges, 15 years for embezzlement and seven years for abuse of power.

The senior politician’s downfall began when a senior aide, Wang Lijun, defected to a US Embassy and revealed details of a murder committed by Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai.

In August 2012 a Chinese court convicted Gu of the murder of Neil Heywood, whom she was said to have killed with poison in a hotel after a business dispute.

Bo was then dismissed from his political office and investigated for corruption.

In a marked departure from other recent politically charged trials, which are typically understood to be closely choreographed proceedings, Bo launched an unusually vigorous defence during his trial last month.

He denied all charges and blamed the corruption on others in his inner circle, thus forgoing the opportunity to earn leniency as is customarily given in Chinese courts when a defendant expresses contrition.

Bo also became the highest-level politician convicted for corruption under China’s leader Xi Jinping, who has staked his reputation on combating graft within the Communist Party.